The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a housing which can be automatically assembled to a shielding member.
A USB (Universal Series Bus) connector is commonly used for the transmission of high frequency signals and is provided with an I/O port for connecting of a computer with a peripheral device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor or a game controller. Pertinent prior art examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,518,421 and 5,725,395, and Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 85213590 and 85215055. However, due to cost ineffectiveness, the USB connector with many advantages is not yet commonly used to replace conventional electrical connectors such as a Mini Din or a D-sub.
One solution for the above-mentioned problem is to adopt an automatic process for assembly of the USB connector. However, many conventional USB connectors have a complex structure thereby hindering an automatic assembly process thereof.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional USB connector includes an insulative housing 2, a plurality of terminals (not shown) retained in the housing 2, a top cover (not shown.) and a front shell 1. The front shell 1 is unitarily stamped and formed from a metal plate to include a top wall 12, a pair of side walls 13 and a pair of half bottom walls 15. The half bottom walls 15 extend inwardly from edges of the side walls 13 and define a seam therebetween. The top wall 12, the side walls 13 and the bottom walls 15 cooperatively define a first space for receiving and retaining the housing 2. The side walls 13 and the bottom walls 15 cooperatively define a second space for allowing the housing 2 to move into the first space therethrough. An edge 120 of the top wall 12 is connected to a carrier 11. However, such a configuration requires a complicated structure of a stamping and forming mold thereby increasing costs. In addition, a pair of stop strips 14 is inwardly bent from edges of the side walls 13 for preventing outward movement of the housing 2 relative to the front shell 1 and a distance therebetween is adapted for allowing a number of wires (not shown) to extend therethrough. Therefore, the housing 2 can only be downwardly inserted into the second space of the front shell 1 from an above position before being inserted into the first space. However, an automatic assembly process can not insert the housing 2 into the front shell along a non-linear path. Thus, a USB connector having a structure for facilitating automatic assembly is desired.